‘Paranormal Activity 3′ Scares Up Big Box Office Weekend

After a slow few weeks at the box office, the horror film “Paranormal Activity 3” finally scared up some serious business from audiences.

Released by Viacom Inc.’s Paramount Pictures, the third installment of the low-budget series grossed $54 million over the weekend from 3,321 locations, according to early estimates. The sum includes $8 million from midnight screenings on Thursday night. The studio also hosted sneak preview screenings in 20 cities around the world on Tuesday to release as part of their “Tweet To See It First” social media campaign.

The opening is the highest-ever for a film released in October, besting the $50.4 million opening of “Jackass 3-D” last year. That film was also released by Paramount.

Made for $5 million, “Paranormal Activity 3” out-grossed the opening weekend of its predecessor, which made $40.7 million on the same weekend last October. It went on to make $177.5 million worldwide.

Paramount Vice-Chairman Rob Moore attributes the film’s success to a number of factors, including the franchise’s ability to stay true to its brand as a shared experience and positive reviews, which helped draw in an older audience. The over-25 crowd made up 47% of the audience, an increase of 7% from the same age group that went to see “Paranormal Activity 2.”

“The film is a good scare without using gore as a fallback,’ says Mr. Moore.

The weekend’s other new releases fared less well. “The Three Musketeers,” which was produced by Constantin Films and distributed in North America by Summit Entertainment LLC, grossed $8.8 million from 3,017 locations. 3-D screenings of the film, a remake of Alexandre Dumas’s novel, made up roughly 55% of the film’s estimated gross.

“Johnny English Reborn,” a $45 million action film starring British comic Rowan Atkinson, earned $3.8 million from 1,552 locations for Comcast Corp.’s Universal Pictures. The film, however, has been a success overseas and has grossed $104.5 million worldwide to date.

In limited release, “Martha Marcy May Marlene,” from News Corp.’s Fox Searchlight, earned $137,541 from four locations in New York and Los Angeles. News Corp. also owns The Wall Street Journal.